Saturday, August 23, 2008

Looking back and seeing the future...

Twelve years ago today I went to college for the first time. It's an amazing thought, because time since then has flown. It's amazing to think that if you go in the other direction, twelve years before that day, I was only five years old going on six, heading off to first grade...and those twelve years seemed to take forever! These twelve years have flown, and it boggles my mind to think of how life has changed since then...nearly as much as the twelve years prior, I suppose, even though I feel like roughly the same person, just with more responsibilities.

I'm not sure why I remember the exact date after all these years, but I suppose it was burned into my memory that whole summer. I was dreading the day because I never wanted to go away to college. Of course, it turned out to be one of the greatest things ever, for so many reasons. I loved it almost immediately. I had a great roommate, and for whatever reason, college life in general agreed with me completely. That day turned out to be such a significant day in my life, looking back on it all. Obviously going to college was a big deal, a gigantic step in growing up and gaining independence. However, I tend to think it was more significant because it was the day I met Mary, my then-roommate and someone I still consider a best friend even though we don't talk nearly as much as we used to, thanks to schedules and all that. But it's one of those friendships that I don't think needs that...we could hang out anytime and probably fall right back into things no problem. It just amazes me that for so long she was such a good friend despite not having known her for that long. But now, all of a sudden, we've known each other for twelve years!

The point of all of this and how it relates to Jacob is that sometimes we don't realize significant days of our lives when they happen to us. Some things, like a wedding day or the birth of a child, are obvious. But with other days, it's only years later that we look back and go, wow...that day really impacted my future. Whether it's meeting someone that would become a best friend, or meeting a spouse, or starting a job that becomes central to your world, sometimes you just don't realize the significance right away. I could say that for the day I met Craig. He interviewed me for my internship with the Amerks. Little did I know as I sat through that interview that I was speaking with my future husband and father of my child. It never would have crossed my mind. But that day completely changed my life, from getting me my first job (in sports, no less) to introducing me to the love of my life. Who knew? Even something as odd as the day Jacob was conceived...which we still don't know for sure...but who knew that that day would be the day our baby would come into being? Or the day we found out I was pregnant...I had no idea that morning that I would be running out to the store to buy a pregnancy test (to rule it out for when I called the doctor wondering why I hadn't had my period yet despite taking a pill to get it) and seeing a line that would change our lives forever.

It's stuff like this that makes you look back at life and realize that there really is some sort of crazy master plan that God put in place. All of these little moments, so seemingly insignificant, tend to come back around and make perfect sense later on. It's truly an amazing masterpiece to behold when you see the big picture. Pretty stinkin' cool. Anyway, happy anniversary, Mary :) It's been a great twelve years and I can't wait to see you and Lois in a couple weeks!

And for those of you interested in baby news, after a small bowel movement yesterday (big celebration over the phone when day care told me that--who knew I'd celebrate poop?), he had a gigantic one today that overflowed the diaper by a long shot. Thank goodness for big shorts! I'm hoping this means his new formula will help him get regular ASAP and we'll have smaller, more manageable BMs soon. Not a fan of the big ones that he's saving up from a couple days' worth of feedings! But for now we're having a nice weekend with Grandma and Grandpa...fun stuff!